An American Eagle captain preparing his jet for takeoff Friday morning from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was removed from the aircraft and arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of alcohol, an airport spokesman said.

Airport police boarded the bombardier CRJ-700 aircraft at about 6:19 a.m. as the pilot was seated in the c*ckpit and making his pre-flight checks for the flight to New York's LaGuardia Airport, said airport spokesman Patrick Hogan.

The pilot for the regional airline, which is owned by American Airlines, was given and failed a preliminary alcohol breath test, and he was taken into custody and brought to Fairview Southdale Hospital for a blood-alcohol test, Hogan added.